George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Messiah

Handel was, like most composers of his day, a fast worker, but few of his scores show such evidence of having been written at white heat as that of , which was set down on paper in a mere 24 days, between 22 August and 14 September 1741. Earlier the same year he had received an invitation from the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to visit Dublin in order to give some concerts in aid of charitable institutions in the city, and it was probably with this impending concert tour in view that he composed his new . His early biographer John Mainwaring, in his Memoirs of the Life of the late George Frederic Handel published in 1760, a year after the composer's death, seems to have been responsible for the widely credited theory that Handel went to Ireland after "his Messiah had met with a cold reception" in London, and because "he hoped to find that favour and encouragement in a distant capital, which London seemed to refuse him", but there is no evidence that this was so. Indeed a copy of Mainwaring's book carries a terse note in the margin, in the hand of its original owner, (who, as Handel's collaborator, had good cause to know) that "Messiah was not performed in London till after his return from Ireland." Moreover, Charles Burney (who as a 15-year-old school boy in Chester witnessed a rehearsal of some of the choruses in Messiah that Handel held there in November 1741 while on his way from London to Dublin) devoted several paragraphs of his General History of Music (1776-89) to proving the falseness of Mainwaring's assertion. Burney also left the following graphic description of the Chester episode. When Handel went through Chester on his way to Ireland in the year 1741, I was at the Public-School in that city, and very well remember seeing him smoke a pipe over a dish of coffee, at the Exchange Coffeehouse, for being extremely curious to see so extraordinary a man, I watched him narrowly as long as he remained in Chester; which, on account of the wind being unfavourable for his embarking at Parkgate, was several days. During this time, he applied to Mr Baker, the Organist, my first music- master, to know whether there were any -men in the cathedral who could sing at sight, as he wished to prove some books that had been hastily transcribed, by trying the choruses which he intended to perform in Ireland. Mr Baker mentioned some of the most likely singers then in Chester and, among, the rest, a printer of the name of Janson, who had a good base voice, and was one of the best musicians in the choir... A time was fixed for this private rehearsal at the Golden Falcon where Handel was quartered; but alas! on trial of the chorus in the "Messiah" 'And with his stripes we are healed', - poor Janson after repeated attempts, failed so egregiously, that Handel let loose his great bear upon him; and after swearing in four languages, cried out in broken English: 'You scoundrel! Did not you dell me that you could sing at sight?' - 'Yes sir,' says the printer, 'and so I can; but not at first sight'."The first performance of Messiah, on 13 April 1742, was the culminating point of Handel's stay in Dublin. It was given at Neal's Music Hall in Fishamble Street, a room designed to hold about 600 people but which, thanks to an announcement in Faulkner's Dublin Journal which intimated that "The stewards of the Charitable Musical Society request the favour of the Ladies not to come with Hoops this Day" and that "The Gentlemen are desired to come without their swords", in fact managed to accommodate an audience of 700. The orchestra was led by Matthew Dubourg, the soloists were "Signora Avolio" (Christina Maria Avoglio) and Mrs Maclean, the Contralto Susannah Maria Cibber (the sister of Thomas Arne, and an actress, of whom, according to Burney, Handel was very fond and whose "voice and manners... softened his severity for her want of musical knowledge"), the male William Lamb and Joseph Ward, the tenor James Bailey and the John Mason, and there was a chorus of sixteen men and sixteen boys drawn from the of St Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church. On 17 April Faulkner's Dublin Journal printed the following notice: "On Tuesday last Mr Handel's Sacred Grand Oratorio, the MESSIAH, was performed at the New Musick-Hall in Fishamble Street; the best Judges allowed it to be the most finished piece of Musick. Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand and the Tender; adapted to the most elevated, majestic and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear. It is but Justice to Mr Handel, that the World should know, he generously gave the Money arising from this Grand Performance, to be equally shared by the Society for relieving Prisoners, the Charitable Informary, and Mercer's Hospital, for which they will ever gratefully remember his name..."Messiah was performed for the first time in England a year later, on 23 March 1743, at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, with at least two of the soloists who had sung in the Dublin performance: Signora Avolio and Mrs Cibber. To the widely-voiced objection that a playhouse was not a fit place in which to perform an oratorio, a reply, "wrote extempore by a Gentleman", was printed in The Daily Advertiser on 31 March:

Cease, Zealots, cease to blame these Heav'nly Lays, For Seraphs fit to sing Messiah's praise! Nor, for your trivial Argument, assign, "The Theatre not fit for Praise Divine."

These hallow'd Lays to Musick give new Grace, To Virtue Awe, and sanctify the Place; To Harmony, like his Celestial Pow'r is giv'n, T'exalt the Soul from Earth, and make, of Hell, a Heav'n.

The anonymous gentlemen was very probably Charles Jennens (1700-73), who had compiled the text of Messiah, and who summed up its spirit in the words he wrote to preface the original wordbook: "And without Controversy, great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the Flesh, justified by the Spirit, Seen of Angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the World, received up in Glory, in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge." It stands apart from Handel's other (except ) in that its text is taken exclusively from the Bible (Part I devoted to the coming of the Messiah; Part II to the sufferings and death of Christ; Part III to the Resurrection), and in Handel's day it was referred to as "The Sacred Oratorio". This fact, coupled with the consistently high level of the music itself, the high proportion of choral movements, the relatively straightforward nature of the (in which vocal display is reduced to a minimum), and the simplicity of the scoring (basically strings and continuo – the only forces used in the Dublin performance – with sparing, though immensely telling, use of , and drums, added for the London performances) has made it one of the most frequently performed and loved of all oratorios. But although the complete sincerity of Handel's religious feelings in composing Messiah is beyond question (it will be remembered that, just after he had written down the music of the chorus, he allegedly told his manservant with tears streaming from his eyes: "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself"), it would be wrong to think of it as being in any way a didactic or liturgical work. Even Jennens once described it as a "fine Entertainment", and Handel wrote it, like all his oratorios (many of which are operas in all but name) for performance not in a church but in a concert hall or theatre.

Some 56 performances of Messiah were given in England between 1743 and Handel's death in 1759, all but 12 of them in secular places of entertainment. King George II, who attended one of them, was so moved by the fervour of the Hallelujah Chorus that he rose to his feet, the audience following his example. The habit persists to this day in England, even in the absence of royalty – and even though nobody stands for the mighty Sanctus of Bach's Mass in . Handel himself performed the oratorio on various occasions at the Foundling Hospital, and from the Minute Books of that institution we learn that for all of them he had an orchestra of 12 or 14 , three , three ', two double basses, four oboes, four , two trumpets, two horns (they presumably doubled the trumpets, no separate parts having survived), and drums and a chorus of some two dozen men and boys. Many of these performances saw some modification or alteration of the music to fit the particular circumstances (notably the characteristics of different soloists): these include alternative versions of No. 6 (But who may abide the day of his coming?) for soprano, and bass: of No. 18 (Rejoice greatly) in 12/8 and 4/4; of No. 20 (He shall feed his flock) for soprano, and for alto and soprano; of No. 29 (Thy rebuke hath broken his heart); No. 30 (Behold and see) and No. 31 (He was cut off) for soprano and for tenor; of No. 36 (Thou art gone up on high) for alto and for soprano; of No. 38 (How beautiful are the feet) for soprano and for two altos; of No. 39 (Their sound is gone out) for tenor and for chorus; of No. 40 (Why do the nations?") in full length and shortened forms; of No. 52 (If God be for us) for soprano and for alto; and numerous others. All these alternatives are of course authentic, and modern performances tend to give an amalgam of them rather than presenting the work as Handel would have given it on any single occasion during his lifetime. This is the principle followed in the edition by Watkins Shaw (published by Novello in 1959 and first performed on 8 December that year in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London under John Churchill) which incorporates many of the variants, and which is used in many performances by choral societies throughout the country. TEXT Square brackets enclose material that is often cut in performances. PART ONE OVERTURE

RECITATIVE Tenor) Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is uccomplish'd, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

AIR (Tenor) Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

CHORUS And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

RECITATIVE (Bass) Thus saith the Lord of Hosts:-yet once, a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land: and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, e'en the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

AIR (Bass) But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire.

CHORUS And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

RECITATIVE (Alto) Behold! a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel: "God with us".

AIR (Alto) AND CHORUS O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, good tidings to Jerusalem, arise; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold; the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

RECITATIVE (Bass) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

AIR (Bass) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death; upon them hath the light shined.

CHORUS For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

PASTORAL SYMPHONY

RECITATIVE (Soprano) There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

RECITATIVE (Soprano) And the angel said unto them, "Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord".

RECITATIVE (Soprano) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heav'nly host, praising God, and saying:-

CHORUS "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill toward men".

AIR (Soprano) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Saviour and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

RECITATIVE (Alto) Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

AIR (Alto, or Alto & soprano) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Come unto Him, all ye that labour. Come unto Him, ye that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

CHORUS His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. PART TWO CHORUS Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.

AIR (Alto) He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. [He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. He hid not his face from shame and spitting.]

CHORUS Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows! He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our inquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

CHORUS And with His stripes we are healed.

CHORUS All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned ev'ry one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

RECITATIVE (Tenor) All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn; they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying:-

CHORUS "He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him".

RECITATIVE (Tenor) Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him.

AIR (Tenor) Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow.

RECITATIVE (Tenor) He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of Thy people was He stricken.

AIR (Tenor)

But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell, nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

CHORUS Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and almighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.

RECITATIVE (Tenor) Unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.]

CHORUS Let all the angels of God worship Him.]

AIR (Alto, Soprano or Bass) Thou art gone up on high. Thou hast led captivity captive and received gifts for men, yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.]

CHORUS The Lord gave the Word. Great was the company of the preachers. AIR (Soprano) How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

CHORUS Their sound is gone out into all lands and their words unto the ends of the world.

AIR (Bass) Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed.

CHORUS Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their yokes from us.

RECITATIVE (Tenor) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.

AIR (Tenor) Thou shall break them with a rod of iron; Thou shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

CHORUS Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! PART THREE AIR (Soprano) I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that sleep.

CHORUS Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

RECITATIVE (Bass) Behold! I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last .

AIR (Bass) The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

RECITATIVE (Alto) Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.]

DUET (Alto & Tenor) AND CHORUS O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.]

AIR (Soprano or Alto) If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God; who makes intercession for us.]

CHORUS Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.  

'This programme note was written by Robert Golding and supplied through Making Music's programme note service